Carl W. Kenney II is an award winning columnist and novelist. He is committed to engaging readers into a meaningful discussion related to matters that impact faith and society. He grapples with pondering the impact faith has on public space while seeking to understand how public space both hinders and enhances the walk of faith.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Brian Banks is not the only victim of Wanetta Gibson's lie

Wanetta Gibson told a lie that cost Brian Banks the
chance to play football at the University of Southern California.That lie
landed Banks in prison and helped Gibson garner a $750,000 settlement.

Gibson has been ordered to pay the Long Beach Unified
School District $2.6 million for telling that lie.Banks is still fighting to resurrect his
promising football career.

It happened in 2002. Gibson was 15 when she claimed
Banks raped her.Banks was a star middle
linebacker at Long Beach Polytechnic High School.He had just made a verbal commitment to
receive a full scholarship to attend USC.Gibson’s lie led to Banks serving five years in prison and five years on
parole where he was forced to register as a sex offender.

Banks accepted a plea bargain after facing a possible
41 years to life in prison. Gibson and her mother Wanda Rhodes sued the Long
Beach Unified School District claiming the school was not a safe environment.They were awarded a $1.5 million settlement.

It was a profitable lie.

Wanetta Gibson contacted Banks in 2011 on
Facebook.The two met, and she admitted
to fabricating the story of being raped.Banks secretly recorded Gibson’s confession. The taped confession led Los
Angeles County prosecutors to overturn the charges against Banks.

The lie was uncovered.Gibson was ordered to repay the $750,000 settlement she received,
attorneys’ fees, interest and $1 million in punitive damages to the school
district.The district will receive
money from Gibson’s future wages and property.

"The court recognizes that our school district
was a victim in this case," Long Beach Unified Superintendent Christopher
J. Steinhauser said. "This judgment demonstrates that when people attempt
to defraud our school system, they will feel the full force of the law."

Who’s the real victim?

The school district is able to recoup the money lost.
Meanwhile, Banks, now 27, has been offered a chance to compete for a spot on
the Atlanta Falcons roster.There’s no guarantee
he’ll make the team.Lost was the chance
for a college education and university experience.Lost is the benefit of sound coaching to
boast his playing resume.Lost are years
of learning and growing outside the confines of the brick walls and bars of the
prison.

What payment is there for Brian Banks beyond the
promise to prove he still has what it takes to play football?

Banks has the potential to earn enough money to shed
the pain associated with all those lost years. No pro contract will be enough
to make this right.A lie destroyed what
could have and should have been.

It’s sad what has happened to Banks, but he’s not the
only causality if Gibson’s lie.

Lost in the mix are the victims of rape who remain
silent because of the presumption that they too are liars.Lost in the conversation related to Gibson’s gross
negation of Banks humanity is how her action impacts the voices of real
victims.

Her lie will be used as yet another example of how women
lie about being raped. She will be added to the list of others who are assumed
to have lied to receive attention. Add Gibson to the list headed by Twana
Brawley and Crystal Mangum.

Gibson’s deception may lead to dialogue concerning punishment
of those who fabricate being raped.Currently, there are no formal negative consequences for those who file
a false report.The accusers never have
to fully admit that the report was a lie.It is rare that legal actions are brought against the accuser.When done, in most places, the charge is only
a misdemeanor.

There is considerable support for establishing
guidelines to define a “false rape accusation” and the criteria for proof of
prior acts.Many want to make the filing
of a false report of rape a felony, rather than a misdemeanor, and to institute
the possibility of a “not guilty and not credible” verdict as a warning to
those who file a false complaint.

Efforts to institutionalize a policy against those who
cry rape will make it harder for victims of rape to come forward.Any law to punish the few who lie will strike
fear among those who have been raped.Not only will those charged of rape be forced to prove innocence; those
who claim being raped will be forced to sustain the credibility of the
charge.Failure to establish the claim
could lead to time served for failing to tell the truth.

Banks has suffered a lot due to Gibson’s lie. It’s
shameful what has happened to Banks.Gibson’s lie has harmed Banks, but it has also hindered the countless
women who are raped each day in America.

Beyond the innocence of those charged with rape is the
question of the merit of those who are raped but assumed guilty of telling a
lie

70 comments:

"Any law to punish the few who lie will strike fear among those who have been raped."

While it may have that effect, it doesn't have to. While we must avoid traumatizing rape victims further and not make the process to get justice more emotionally troubling than it already is, that concern must be weighed along with justice, restricting punishment to the guilty convicted through "due process".

Rape shield laws are examples of erring in favor of accusers rather than justice. These laws limit a defendant's ability to cross-examine rape complainants about their past sexual behavior and prohibit the publication of the identity of an alleged rape victim. In most criminal allegations made by adults, the victim's name would be published. This preserves public accountability for the accuser, as well as for the accused (whose name is published). Removing these laws will not increase the risk of prosecution for withdrawing one's allegation, but it will erect one more obstacle for false accusers, thereby reducing the likelihood of false accusation. Women may face increased discomfort at this possibility, but the fact remains that current rape shield laws were one major factor (in addition to several others) in the wrongful conviction of men from the Duke lacrosse team. Rape shield laws enable false accusers.

There are twin realities that must be admitted: 1) many rapes are unreported, and 2) some accusations of rape are false. Ignoring either truth is disingenuous. The FBI admits it is impossible to determine the exact numbers for either situation, but a trustworthy, just justice system must prosecute those proven guilty and protect the innocent; defaulting on either of these tasks causes citizens to be demoralized and lose trust in the system, making vigilantism and withdrawal from society attractive options.

The Salem Witch Trials shared 2 significant commonalities with rape trials today: 1) the difficulty of scant evidence, and 2) incentivization to accuse. Witchcraft accusers needed a mere claim to get remove neighbors from their houses or retaliate. Undoubtedly, the witch trials had far less basis in fact than rape trials today. Since evidence of rape is often not conclusive (not all rape causes visible trauma, and it is difficult to ascertain whether trauma or DNA is a result of non-consentual activity), the standard of evidence is lower. Witnesses and hearsay, evidence that would not carry much weight in other criminal allegations, are given higher prominence. And since less evidence is necessary, it is easier for a manipulative person to make ill-gotten gain.

The notion that "no woman would make that up" is hypocritical and represents a naive understanding of human nature. Whether male or female, people can and do make things up all the time, especially when there is something to be gained from false accusations. One can satisfy a thirst for vengeance by having an ex wrongfully sent to jail at mere allegation, or accuse for money as Wanetta Gibson did.

"This lie has hurt more than one man.”

Yes, it also victimized other men by showing the ease of convicting them on false accusations. When manipulators hear about this, it gives them ideas for exploitation.

“It also makes it harder for rape victims to get the help they need, justice, and get rapists convicted.”

Rape is a complicated crime to prosecute. Oversimplifying the prosecution process guarantees that more victims will be created (in the form of the falsely accused). Unfortunately, Wanetta’s lie will make people more suspicious of alleged victims, but this won’t reduce help available to them. As for getting rapists convicted, cases with substantial evidence will remain so, and those without such evidence for alleged rapists will remain inconclusive. In the end, we aren’t after a quota of convictions, but rather a safer society. The justice system should never make victims to protect victims.

Bravo, kind sir/ma'am. I applaud your use of logic, reason, and historical evidence to support your point. Too often we are subjected to oversimplified, emotional responses, that lack the forethought necessary to tackle such a complicated issue.

Almost everything in life is a gray area, but most of our laws are black and white. It's a shame logic and common-sense doesn't play a bigger role in our society.

I could be wrong about this but the fact that the man had to plea guilty to a crime he didnt commit in order to not be punished even more harshly makes me so angry with the whole situation. After reading the whole article and everyone's comments that still makes me feel terrible. I see that it is implemented in the court to almost scare people into just telling the truth and not getting a more severe punishment but still the fact remains that an innocent person was accused of a crime he didnt commit and still had his life ruined. Bravo to him for getting her to confess on tape but the sad thing is he had to take matters into his own hands (or at least that is what I gathered from the information provided).

The ones who truly get the "short end of the deal" are the survivors. I know of a woman who was brutally kidnapped, repeatedly gang raped, pistol whipped and then had to swim across a lake to get to a house to call the police. During the trial she was asked, "what were you wearing" and "how short was your skirt? Her 4 rapists (none of whom were African American) each got 4 years in prison and served lest than 2 years. This poor woman was traumatized beyond belief, especially when she ran into one of the attackers at the grocery store 5 minutes away from her home. How is that for justice. She was the one put on trial, the defendants just had to take a little time off from work where they got to watch TV paid by the taxpayers, exercise and brag to their inmate buddies about their "brutalization/humiliation" of a single mother with three kids...

In Michigan the false report of a Felony is a Felony and it is punishable by the same number of years as the false charge carries. It has not eliminated the problem of false charges but I know of charges being filed and receiving guilty verdicts against the false accuser. These laws should be nationwide. They will not only protect the innocent but will help determine the liars.

I've been surprised to see how few people stop to consider the role of the prosecutor in the Brian Banks case. Prosecutors are supposed to function as gatekeepers of justice. They are not supposed to try a case just because the can. They are entrusted with being able to evaluate the evidence and to make responsible decisions about whether or not to bring charges.

Recall that there was not a scrap of physical evidence to support Wanetta Gibson's claims. Her story changed every time she told it. her accusation had all the hallmarks of a teenage lie.

The DA pushed chose to bring charges anyway. When Brian's mother sold all she had to pay for a lawyer, the DA added a kidnapping charge to the mix and threatened Brian with a 41 year long potential sentence. Brian was given 10 minutes to decide to take a plea. He was not allowed to talk to his mother.

Ms. Gibson is deserving of a great deal of blame. But the public never entrusted Wanetta Gibson to be a gatekeeper of justice. That was the prosecutor's job. The prosecutor did not merely fail in that task; the prosecutor turned the notion of rule of law into a sick joke.

There is blame to be placed here, but in my opinion, the blame rests largely with the prosecutor. Sadly, this particular prosecutor did what prosecutors throughout the country do to defendants every day. That's the real horror. This is where the real reform needs to occur.

dang. that's so sad. He had an attorney right? I understand that the attorney wanted him to plead no contest, but did she even try to defend him? with all that money his mama paid she did very little to earn it it seems

I think, in my humble opinion, he means that bc of this woman, many real raped women, would have problems in future due that this case would be used against them by comparative law. Definitely Mr. Banks is the Direct and only Victim in this case, but there would be more victims in future time. (Sorry for my english).

I actually used to watch him play back in the day with Desean Jackson when I owned a window tinting business in the area. The kid was a great gap blaster, and even played tight end with Marcedes Lewis. Tough story, but in the long run I bet Banks will be able to leverage his history to benefit himselfwww.sunshinetinting.com

I am appalled at this whole situation. As a victim of rape whose offender was not prosecuted, I am disgusted at her for abusing the system while real victims never do see justice. I understand where they are coming from to an extent, but you have no earthly idea what it feels like to get called into the DA's office just to hear him say that they're not going to prosecute your rapist because there's not enough evidence and none of the witnesses present that night are willing to testify. Then there are people like this bimbo who lie, ruin people's lives, and get off pretty much scott free. So much for the justice system being "just."

It is possible that they met. If the accusation happened in 2002, and he only served 5 years in prison... she didn't message him on Facebook until 2011. Banks did meet with her, and the P.I. recorded it.

The sad thing is, that for all we know, Gibson and her mother sat down and planned this, she fabricated sexual assault, they become millionaires, the sad thing is this crime could be solved with testing to see if they did have sexual intercourse, and if so, a lie detector test to see if it was rape, if the results of these produce "reasonable" doubt he should not have been convicted in the first place

Anyone filing a falsified report of rape should have to serve equal amount of time served by the falsely accused /convicted. Gibson should have to do hardcore community service and, or jail time for every day Banks suffered behind bars, in addition to restitution, etc. The time that young man lost can not be replaced. He missed out on what could have been some of the best years of his life. This should not be overlooked. Therefore, Gipson's punishment should be the loss of her time, so that she realizes the weight of her crime. This will set an example for others who might be thinking of making false accusations of rape.

While I can see both sides. Implementation of a law against false accusations will stop victim from coming forward. And though they don't necessarily have this law in place already it is common practice. A rape victim has to be wholesome and the perfect little angel to be looked at as telling the truth most times. She can not have had sex with nit one person outside of wedlock otherwise she is deemed as a whore. God forbid she wears leggings or a mini skirt or mini dress to an outing then she is branded as loose. One picture of her having fun with friends can loose a whole case. Because unfortunately the cards are stacked against most rape victims. Especially if the man is well off and handsome. On the other side of things prosecutors will take an easy win. This young man did not know the law and he was afraid of going to court facing 40 years with additional trumped up charges. Im sure he feared the court and jurors would be as unjust as the persons tempting him to sign that agreement. Prosecutors suckered people into pleas daily that way. They are going to destroy the weak. And yes its all for their career. Wins vs. Losses. A person can be dead guilty but if their burden of proof is too great they won't fight it because they don't wanna loose. While most people who claim rape do not lie there are the select few like the female above and for those of them they should be penalized. The same you can be penalized for not telling the police something you can and should be penalized for lying. Obstructing justice is a viable charge. Falsifying a statement is a charge. So why aren't they penalized I will tell you why bc the prosecutor will take a more publicized hit. Why do you think it's so hard to get guilty verdicts overturned? Bc then they are admitting the prosecution was wrong and that the system is flawed. Such admission will cause change and let's face it they don't want to change. So I don't agree with the author saying they need things in place bc things are in place they just need to execute these laws and punishment but that will be a cold day in hell seriously. Until then I just feel bad for rape victim bc they are made a mockery of which is why most of us do not come forward. My rapist is a soldier he continued on with his life and is married with kids. He doesn't worry about what he did to me bc he was never punished. Why? Bc his command team struck the thought of fear and doubt into my heart and mind and I stayed quiet. I had to deploy with thus fucker. I felt raped every day i seen him and that sob would always smirk at me when he seen me. My life was hell. All bc of females like the one above and the unjust justice system we are subject to. I think about it everyday and though it saddens me I really don't think coming forward I would've been taken seriously nor would he he been prosecuted.

I understand that the fear of ACTUAL rape victims risking being prosecuted themselves could cause them to not report it. But what about laws that punish if you are found guilty of lying by supportive evidence. This woman OBVIOUSLY lied. She admits she lied! Isn't there a charge for providing false statements to police & impeding an investigation?! Do those not apply here? This woman took nearly 10 years from this man! She should have to do time! And is it me or is the school superintendent here a little insensative??? The school is not the "real victim" Banks is!!!!! What a gutsy statement. It's just all around the rawest deal for Banks to have missed out on the college experience, the skills he could've gained from college coaching, the scholarship, the NFL draft pick, life with his family & friends, a chance a real true and healthy relationship with a REAL WOMAN, jobs, EVERYTHING! Someone needs to pass a law, if you are PROVEN GUILTY of lying you have to serve time! I have been assaulted myself & truly find it disgracefully disgusting & inhumane how a human could go on carrying on such an elaborate scheming LIE for so long without punishment. There just aren't words for how I feel about this atrocity!!! Punish these people!!!!!

Im so glad that se had pay every god damn penny back, She destroyed a whole family`s lives with her lie.She took away Brian`s youth, I dont get how se managed to live with her self for all these years. Now I hope suffers like brian has for the rest of her life.

What I would add is so often it is not completely the accuser who commits this crime. Very few accusers do this on their own. Guilty also are "prosecutors, Judges Lawyers and even Lawyers for defence of the accused, social workers,police, victims services, counsellors, child protection workers if children were involved in some way or a person under 18 or 16 was the accuser, false witnesses and other false witness usually coerced by the Crown, family and "friends" who don't like the accused enable further damning of the accused character and the list goes on. Punishing the original complainant won't do anything unless ALL involved falsely are punished. In many cases, the prosecutor, the Judge the social workers, the [police etc KNOW the accused is innocent but it is politically expedient to assume the man is guilty adn even with NO evidence. Judges will throw out evidence in order to convict innocent men. I a have seen all this happen. If the complainant comes forward, all the criminals involved force the complainant to take the entire fall for all the dirty work of Judges and Lawyers and even Lawyers for defence of the accused, social workers,police, victims services, counsellors, child protection workers if children were involved in some way or a person under 18 or 16 was the accuser, false witnesses and other false witness usually coerced by the Crown, family and "friends" who don't like the accused. It is ugly becasue they are all making money at it. Do not think people are so dumb they are all fooled by liars or that liars are fool everyone judging case. This is not the case at all. Prosecutors and everyone on the side of the complainant invest heavily in using the complainant as a pawn to "get a conviction" Yes, the complainant is wrong adn initially , sometimes starts it all but , everyone gets in on the bandwagon with all sorts of various agendas and makes a worse mess. ALL involved need to be punished. because many players in the system are criminals, often way bigger criminals than the original complainant so work is to be done becasue the courts actually don't even care if people lie unless they happen to have a moral back bone. I have not seen enough good practices in courts to believe enough Judges/Lawyers are good Judges/Lawyers making sure the innocent don't go to jail. They are simply not after truth. This must change as if effects ALL of us.

When I read this story I was absolutely disgusted! It is people like Gibson who make real rape victims afraid to come forward out of fear that they will be seen as liars. But more importantly she took 10 years away from this man's life! Paying the money back is not enough punishment. Yes the school gets their money back, but what about Banks? Him and his family can never get back the years he spent behind bars, the dirty reputation he got, or the opportunities he missed out on. This bitch needs to be in jail and maybe they'll be even.

Two comments.1. Is Gibson better off even having gone through all the public shame and now civil judgment (uncollectable) than if she had never done this. After all, she has been able to have four years of partying, drugs and unprotected sex with other people's money. Since she is basically one of the sponges of American society never taking advantage of her chance for education and never to be productive, what has she suffered?2. Why has the attorney who represented Goibnson and her mother never been publicly humiliated, disbarred, and forced to pay back the $500,000 he/she made?

Two comments.1. Is Gibson better off even having gone through all the public shame and now civil judgment (uncollectable) than if she had never done this. After all, she has been able to have four years of partying, drugs and unprotected sex with other people's money. Since she is basically one of the sponges of American society never taking advantage of her chance for education and never to be productive, what has she suffered?2. Why has the attorney who represented Goibnson and her mother never been publicly humiliated, disbarred, and forced to pay back the $500,000 he/she made?

Do the white people really want more race riots trying to get back the money this black girl scammed from the 'system'?...That was 'so many years ago'.....It is racist of white people to want to have justice without an approval from Al Sharpton...I know it sounds ridiculous but Al owns the justice system...and Barack and his mate are really involved in race stuff ....But really, what's the big deal? In the words of Hillary Clinton, What difference does it make?....The black people of the USA don;'t care. They are not marching for this guy...they don't give a crap, so why should anyone else? The girl got away with it...let it go, right?

So the author is an award winning columnist? And novelist? Well, the novelist part I can believe. This degenerate claims that if laws are enacted, victims of rape will fear coming forward. Rubbish!!! We're talking about criminal women caught in a red-handed lie. True victims of rape will come forward and see justice served as millions of cases have shown. A rape victim has nothing to fear since the law will side with her. Once again, we should only be talking about those that are clearly caught lying beyond a shadow of a doubt such as this Gibson character. You and your lame article are mediocre and completely out of line.

My thoughts go out to Mr Banks, the real victim in this, his life will never be what it could have been, ever any potential he had as a footballer, that died along with his aspirations to become one when that awful (sorry excuse for a woman) made those false allegations, his reputation will forever be tarnished, there will be doubters, no mater his path in life he will always be a nervous wreck, fearful to engage in any relationship for fear of another allegation. The doubt will always be at the fore. Can you just imagine what he endured in prison??And that school (& district) I dare say they were possibly witness for the prosecution or gave a scathing character assassination that sealed his fate! And they have the mendacity to say they were the victim! Err WTF???? I have never heard anything so absurd in my whole life!! What a bunch of charlatans and shame on all the shittychatters who gossiped and spread untold malicious lies, that includes the silly press because let's be honest that is what they are paid to do! Now as for the wretch who made the allegations, my instinct is her mama put her up to it but hey she didn't have to follow through with it, I think twenty yrs for her and her mother will do nicely because she took money too! As for the school, give all the money that you will recoup and recompense him for loss of earnings, recompense him for the injury emotionally psychologically you do that and it still won't change a thing because you can't get back time! What a disgrace.My heart goes out to the real victims of rape, what a harrowing ordeal for any one. Big time respect for Mr Banks. As for the one upmanship comments well actually it was a private investigation etc etc! Grow the fook up, there is more to be salvaging from this abhorrent miscarriage of justice, change the law, hell you spend enough on war! Spend it on your people and get those women in a psychiatric unit please. I won't post anonymously Mr Banks, I wish you the very best for the future and sincerely hope you are able to rebuild your life! Respectfully Shirley McKenzie

My thoughts go out to Mr Banks, the real victim in this, his life will never be what it could have been, ever any potential he had as a footballer, that died along with his aspirations to become one when that awful (sorry excuse for a woman) made those false allegations, his reputation will forever be tarnished, there will be doubters, no mater his path in life he will always be a nervous wreck, fearful to engage in any relationship for fear of another allegation. The doubt will always be at the fore. Can you just imagine what he endured in prison??And that school (& district) I dare say they were possibly witness for the prosecution or gave a scathing character assassination that sealed his fate! And they have the mendacity to say they were the victim! Err WTF???? I have never heard anything so absurd in my whole life!! What a bunch of charlatans and shame on all the shittychatters who gossiped and spread untold malicious lies, that includes the silly press because let's be honest that is what they are paid to do! Now as for the wretch who made the allegations, my instinct is her mama put her up to it but hey she didn't have to follow through with it, I think twenty yrs for her and her mother will do nicely because she took money too! As for the school, give all the money that you will recoup and recompense him for loss of earnings, recompense him for the injury emotionally psychologically you do that and it still won't change a thing because you can't get back time! What a disgrace.My heart goes out to the real victims of rape, what a harrowing ordeal for any one. Big time respect for Mr Banks. As for the one upmanship comments well actually it was a private investigation etc etc! Grow the fook up, there is more to be salvaging from this abhorrent miscarriage of justice, change the law, hell you spend enough on war! Spend it on your people and get those women in a psychiatric unit please. I won't post anonymously Mr Banks, I wish you the very best for the future and sincerely hope you are able to rebuild your life! Respectfully Shirley McKenzie

My thoughts go out to Mr Banks, the real victim in this, his life will never be what it could have been, ever any potential he had as a footballer, that died along with his aspirations to become one when that awful (sorry excuse for a woman) made those false allegations, his reputation will forever be tarnished, there will be doubters, no mater his path in life he will always be a nervous wreck, fearful to engage in any relationship for fear of another allegation. The doubt will always be at the fore. Can you just imagine what he endured in prison??And that school (& district) I dare say they were possibly witness for the prosecution or gave a scathing character assassination that sealed his fate! And they have the mendacity to say they were the victim! Err WTF???? I have never heard anything so absurd in my whole life!! What a bunch of charlatans and shame on all the shittychatters who gossiped and spread untold malicious lies, that includes the silly press because let's be honest that is what they are paid to do! Now as for the wretch who made the allegations, my instinct is her mama put her up to it but hey she didn't have to follow through with it, I think twenty yrs for her and her mother will do nicely because she took money too! As for the school, give all the money that you will recoup and recompense him for loss of earnings, recompense him for the injury emotionally psychologically you do that and it still won't change a thing because you can't get back time! What a disgrace.My heart goes out to the real victims of rape, what a harrowing ordeal for any one. Big time respect for Mr Banks. As for the one upmanship comments well actually it was a private investigation etc etc! Grow the fook up, there is more to be salvaging from this abhorrent miscarriage of justice, change the law, hell you spend enough on war! Spend it on your people and get those women in a psychiatric unit please. I won't post anonymously Mr Banks, I wish you the very best for the future and sincerely hope you are able to rebuild your life! Respectfully Shirley McKenzie

The prosecution used all their resources to obtain a conviction for for their trophy case and did nothing to investigate whether the accusations were false despite the defendant maintaining his innocence. Did they polygraph the accuser? DNA samples? Sounds like a poor kid at the hands of an inept public defender and a DA offering a reduced sentence only if he takes the plea or risk 43 years behind jail.They had no case. He should've sued his attorney and the DA.

Total Pageviews

Carl W. Kenney II

Carl was named the best serious columnist of 2011 by the North Carolina Press Association for his work with the News & Observer's community paper The Durham News and in 2016 by the Missouri Press Association for his columns in the Columbia Missourian. He is a columnist with the News & Observer and Co-Executive Producer of "God of the Oppressed" an upcoming documentary film on black liberation theology. He is a former Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri - School of Journalism and Adjunct Instructor at Duke University, the Center for Documentary Studies. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He furthered his education at Duke University and attained a Master of Divinity. He was named a Fellow in Pastoral Leadership Development at the Princeton Theological Seminary on May 14, 2005. He is a freelance writer with his commentary appearing in The Washington Post, Religious News Services,The Independent Weekly and The Durham Herald-Sun. Carl is the author of two novels: “Preacha’ Man” and the sequel “Backslide”.
He has led congregations in Missouri and North Carolina